Category Archives: Ukraine

Brazilian politician’s sexist remarks about Ukraine refugees spark outrage

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Arthur do Val heard in leaked audio messages calling women fleeing war ‘easy because they’re poor’

A prominent member of the Brazilian right is facing calls to resign after he was exposed in leaked audio messages making a succession of callous and misogynistic remarks about Ukrainian refugees during a purportedly humanitarian mission to the recently invaded country.

Arthur do Val, a São Paulo congressman and former supporter of Brazil’s rightwing president, Jair Bolsonaro, made a three-day trip to the region last week, supposedly to raise awareness of the human cost of Vladimir Putin’s attack.

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Russia-Ukraine war: Ukraine and Russia blame each other as Mariupol evacuation fails again – live

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Hopes of establishing a humanitarian corridor out of besieged city of Mariupol dashed for second day running

The Ukrainian military is reporting that Russia has suffered losses of more than 11,000 military personnel since the invasion began.

A total of 285 Russian tanks and 985 armoured combat vehicles were also reported to have been destroyed as well as 109 artillery systems, 44 aircraft and 48 helicopters, according to a report by the general staff of the armed forces of Ukraine and published to the website of the Ukrainian ministry of defence.

The scale and strength of Ukrainian resistance continue to surprise Russia.

[Russia] has responded by targeting populated areas in multiple locations, including Kharkiv, Chernihiv and Mariupol.

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Defeating Putin in Ukraine may take years, says Dominic Raab

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Deputy PM says Nato will need ‘strategic stamina’ as Starmer accuses ministers of moving too slowly on sanctions

It may take years for Vladimir Putin to be defeated in his conquest of Ukraine, Britain’s deputy prime minister has admitted, as Labour accused the government of moving too slowly over sanctions.

Dominic Raab said people who thought the crisis could be resolved in days were “deluding themselves” and that Nato would need to “show some strategic stamina” in its bid to force the Russian army to retreat.

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Nervous residents of Mariupol prepare to leave during second ceasefire

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Hundreds of thousands hope to flee city in south-east Ukraine despite Russia allegedly breaking last ceasefire

More than 430,000 people trapped in the port city of Mariupol by encircling Russian forces are nervously preparing to evacuate after a ceasefire was announced, a day after a similar plan fell apart amid accusations that Moscow had failed to respect the agreement.

Local authorities in the south-eastern Ukrainian city said an evacuation supervised by the Red Cross would begin at noon local time (10am GMT) during a nine-hour cessation in Russian attacks.

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Social media turn on Putin, the past master

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Disinformation and fake accounts were used against the west for years – now the Kremlin is under attack

• Russia-Ukraine war latest


One of the wildest aspects of the first Great Information War is not just that you can follow Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in real time, minute by minute and step by step, but you can also join in.

Because in 2022, information is power. And one of the many huge unexpected geopolitical shifts of the last week is that this power has been returned to the people.

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Antony Blinken enters Ukraine after meeting foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba – video

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The US secretary of state briefly crossed into Ukraine after meeting with the country's foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba. The pair met at the border with Poland to discuss western efforts to support Ukraine after Russia invaded 10 days ago 

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The people of Ukraine need our solidarity. But not just because they’re ‘like us’ | Kenan Malik

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The outpouring of sympathy and help for Ukrainian refugees has prompted debate about European attitudes to identity and ethnicity

In 1857, the English poet and Chartist leader Ernest Jones wrote a series of articles in the People’s Paper about the “Indian Mutiny” of that year. It was, he observed, no “mutiny” but a “national insurrection” that Britons should support as much as they had supported similar struggles in Europe. Britons were “on the side of Poland” when it “struggled for its freedom against Russia”. If Poland was “right”, Jones insisted, then “so is Hindostan”.

I was reminded of his argument as I read and listened to some of the commentary about Ukrainian resistance to the Russian invasion. The invasion is brutal and unacceptable, an assault on democracy and sovereignty. We should oppose it just as we should oppose the Saudi assault on Yemen. We should support the people of Ukraine just as we should the people of Syria.

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MPs seeking ‘fast-track’ freeze on oligarchs’ assets before formal sanctions

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Amendment to the economic crime bill comes after criticism that UK has been slower to act than US or EU

Russian oligarchs suspected of having links to Vladimir Putin could have their UK assets seized even before the British authorities have completed formal steps to impose sanctions, under far-reaching plans tabled for debate in parliament on Monday.

The move – put forward in an amendment to the economic crime bill by former Tory cabinet minister David Davis and backed by a cross-party group of MPs – would, if passed, amount to the toughest action yet to clamp down on illicit Russian cash in the UK.

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Britons face fraught journeys overland and delays to find a way out of Russia

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Government has urged UK nationals to ‘consider leaving’ the country now but the war in Ukraine has led to travel disruption

British nationals urged to leave Russia amid the fallout of the war in Ukraine are facing fraught journeys back to the UK, with reports of tense border crossings, visa problems and disruption caused by flight cancellations.

The UK government updated its travel advice yesterday to “strongly advise” those whose presence is “not essential” in Russia to consider leaving now. In a statement on its website, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: “If your presence in Russia is not essential, we strongly advise that you consider leaving by remaining commercial routes.”

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Russian chef joins forces with Ukrainian best friend to serve food across frontiers

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The London-based pair launch initiative to raise awareness – and funds – through shared love of traditional dishes

Alissa Timoshkina was brought up on a “beautiful diet” of Ukrainian and Russian dishes. Growing up, she remembers her great-grandmother – a Ukrainian Holocaust survivor who emigrated to Siberia following the second world war – pounding lard and frying vegetables to make a hearty beetroot borscht (Ukrainian soup).

Now the Russian chef has joined forces with her Ukrainian best friend, Olia Hercules, in a show of unity in the face of war. The London-based pair, both 37, are the force behind Cook for Ukraine, an initiative that uses food to raise awareness about the conflict and funds to support the humanitarian effort.

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Biden and Zelenskiy discuss more aid for Ukraine as bombardment continues

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Intelligence report says Russia had responded to unexpected ferocity of the Ukrainian military by targeting cities such as Kharkiv and Mariupol

The strength of Ukraine’s resistance “continues to surprise Russia”, a British intelligence report has said, despite attempts by invading troops to break Ukrainian morale by targeting populated areas.

In its daily intelligence report, the Ministry of Defence said Russia had responded to the unexpected ferocity of the Ukrainian military response by targeting cities such as Kharkiv, Chirnihiv and Mariupol.

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Tens of thousands join rallies around the world in support of Ukraine

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Demonstrators gathered in cities across Europe, the US and South America to demand an end to Russia’s invasion

Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in cities including Santiago, Vancouver Paris and New York in support of Ukraine, demanding an end to Russia’s invasion.

The protesters rallied on Saturday against Russian president Vladimir Putin’s attack, which began on 24 February and appeared to be entering a new phase with escalating bombardment.

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Zelenskiy invites Elon Musk to Ukraine after war following Starlink commitment – video

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Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy shared a video on social media where he had spoken to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and invited him to visit after the war. The meeting came as Ukraine announced it would receive more Starlink satellite internet terminals for destroyed cities from the company next week

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Visa and Mastercard will both suspend operations in Russia

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Transactions to be cut off after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged companies to take action

Visa and Mastercard have announced tonight they will be suspending operations in Russia over the invasion of Ukraine.

Visa said in a statement that it would cut off transactions “over the coming days” and consequently cards issued in Russia would not work abroad as well as foreign issued cards in Russia.

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Defiant Putin warns the west: your sanctions are akin to an act of war

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Ukraine told: your statehood is in doubt as Russian bombs end ceasefire in Mariupol

Vladimir Putin delivered a chilling warning to the west over the imposition of sanctions on Russia on Saturday, warning that measures designed to cripple his country’s economy were “akin to an act of war”.

In comments that were both defiant and threatening, the Russian president also told Ukraine’s leaders that their nation risked being dismantled as an independent sovereign state if they continued to resist Russia’s invasion.

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Ukraine: UN says more than 1.3 million have fled since Russian invasion began

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United Nations calling exodus Europe’s fastest-moving refugee crisis since end of second world war

More than 1.3 million Ukrainians have crossed borders since the Russian invasion started on the 24 February in what the United Nations is now calling Europe’s fastest-moving refugee crisis since the end of the second world war.

Figures released today by the United Nation’s Refugee Agency (UNHCR) show that to date 1.37 million people have fled Ukraine into neighbouring European countries after the military offensive ordered by the Russian president, Vladimir Putin.

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Russia-Ukraine war latest: western sanctions akin to declaration of war, says Putin; Russia and Ukraine to hold third round of talks on Monday – live

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Vladimir Putin criticises economic sanctions imposed on Russia, and warns western countries against implementing a no-fly zone over Ukraine

Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov said 66,224 Ukrainian men had returned from abroad to help fight against Russia’s invasion.

That’s how many men returned from abroad at this moment to defend their country from the horde. These are 12 more combat and motivated brigades! Ukrainians, we are invincible,” Reznikov said in statement posted online.

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Mariupol evacuation postponed as Russia accused of breaking ceasefire

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Local authorities in Ukrainian city ask residents to return to shelters and wait for further information

Authorities in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol have said an evacuation of civilians has been postponed because Russian forces encircling the city were not respecting an agreed ceasefire.

In a statement, the city council asked residents to return to shelters in the city and wait for further information on evacuation.

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Gunfire reportedly heard as Ukrainians rally in Kherson against Russia’s occupation – video

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Warning: some viewers may find the following footage distressing

Gunfire was reportedly heard as thousands protested in the Ukrainian city of Kherson on Saturday to protest against the arrival of Russian troops. Residents flooded into its main square on Saturday and protested peacefully and noisily against the occupation.

As protesters took to the streets, local media reported that some armed men fired shots in the air to disperse the crowd. The Black Sea port has become the first major Ukrainian target to fall under the de facto control of Russia forces

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